You might be familiar with the oldest framing tool available to photographers and film makers – the splayed fingers in a rectangle to frame a shot.

It’s a familiar trope and almost a thumb rule. But geometry trumps the index finger and the thumb when you are trying to capture the perfect shot.

This shouldn’t surprise you because photography is all physics (the effect of photons) and math (focal lengths). So let’s at least get to grips with the “geometry” of perfect shots with the help of this website.

A Database of Geometric Shots

Raymond Thi has created a searchable database of cinematographically perfect shots and illustrated them with different rules of compositions. Geometric Shots has some of the best shots from well-known films and TV shows highlighted with pink lines.

From Citizen Kane to Game of Thrones, the pink lines lead the eye into the scene and help to show the eye-pleasing effect of symmetry and proportion.

The photos on the website are tagged by the geometric principles they follow. Some of the patterns are a revelation — if you had limited yourself to only the rule of thirds till now. It might be worth your while to also follow Raymond’s Instagram account which is also updated with the site as he finds new movie scenes to add.

A Useful Website for Your Learning Curve

The painstaking attention to detail might not be obvious behind the simplicity. But the website could play an important role in your evolution as a good photographer. Photography is about breaking all the rules… but it is also important to follow some of them.

If you are struggling with the focal point for a scene, the geometric shots could be your field guide. The geometric shapes make it easier to organize your subjects in the frame and help put the story in it.

What do you think of this unique photography website? Do the photos make you appreciate the hidden forms in nature even more?

Saikat is a techno-adventurer in a writer's garb. When he is not scouring the net for tech news, you can catch him looking for life hacks and learning tidbits. You can find him on LinkedIn & Twitter watching over the world.